Affected by the strongest El Niño, the overall temperature in China is expected to be high this winter

China News Service, Beijing, November 3 (Reporter Chen Su) The reporter learned from the China Meteorological Administration on the 3rd that due to the impact of the strongest El Niño event in the history of monitoring records, the overall temperature in China is expected to be high this winter (winter 2026/2027).

On the same day, the China Meteorological Administration held a press conference to introduce recent climate trends in China. Monitoring shows that in October this year, the national average temperature was 11.1°C, 0.6°C higher than the same period in normal years. During the month, 6 cold air processes affected China, 2.4 times more than the same period in normal years. In October, the national average precipitation was 35.3 mm, close to the same period in normal years (35.7 mm). The spatial distribution of precipitation was uneven, and meteorological drought continued in some areas of the southwest.

Gao Rong, deputy director of the National Climate Center, said at the press conference that in September 2026, a super strong El Niño event formed in the equatorial central and eastern Pacific. In October, it has developed into the strongest El Niño event in the history of monitoring records. It is expected to reach its peak in late autumn and early winter, which will have a significant impact on China's climate this winter and next spring.

"It is expected that in the winter of 2026/2027, the national temperature will be generally high, but the frequency of cold waves will be slightly more frequent, and the temperature will fluctuate greatly. The risk of strong cooling and snowfall in the north and periodic low-temperature rain and snow in the south will be prominent." Gao Rong said that except for the low temperatures in northeastern Inner Mongolia and the western part of Northeastern China, most of the rest of the country has temperatures close to normal for the same period to higher, and shows the characteristics of cold winter in the front and warm winter in the back. Periodic strong cooling and strong warming events are frequent in December this year and January next year. There is generally more precipitation across the country, with heavy snowfalls occurring frequently in most areas in the north, and significantly more precipitation in the south. Among them, there are periods of low-temperature rain, snow, and freezing weather in eastern and southern China, central and southern China, northern South China, and eastern southwest China.